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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195532">High Ground</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0'>Indig0</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Articulation [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 Has a Different Name, Day Off, Gen, Hiking, Leo is human and can't keep up with the two most advanced androids ever built, RK900 loves nature, and they all love each other, and they help him, but he tries, quality time together</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:47:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27195532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indig0/pseuds/Indig0</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lexicon (60), Leo, and RK900 take some time off and spend the day hiking.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cyberlife Tower Connor | RK800-60 &amp; Upgraded Connor | RK900 &amp; Leo Manfred</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Articulation [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1324544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>High Ground</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/hand_ler/gifts">hand_ler</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’ve never... hiked before,” Lexicon said, looking around.  “Just... walking around in the woods?”</p><p>“Yeah, or sometimes other places.”  Leo shrugged.  “Just as long as you’re outside.  Sometimes there’s climbing and shit, but mostly just walking.”</p><p>“Well... It does sound relaxing,” Lexi admitted.  “But I draw the line at camping.  We’re going home - to our nice clean home - at the end of the day.”</p><p>“Oh sure, yeah, I’m not here to sleep in the woods,” Leo assured them.  “How ‘bout you, big guy?”</p><p>RK900 was scanning the area slowly.  He shrugged.</p><p>“You’re not impressed either?”  Leo sighed.</p><p>RK900 held up his hand, then began  to sign rapidly.</p><p>“Whoa, hold on, I’m not that good yet...”</p><p>“...He says the wind in the tall grass is like the waves on the lake, with almost as much biodiversity.”  Lexi looked up.  “That’s rather poetic.”</p><p>RK900 ducked his head shyly.</p><p>“Yeah, I mean it’s pretty out here,” Leo said, taking a deep breath and sneezing.  "I think I went to camp around here when I was a kid. Got real bad poison ivy, and ticks all over the place.  ...Or it might’ve been somewhere else.”</p><p>“Well we’ll have to avoid poison ivy,” Lexi said, looking around.  “And you should check for ticks when we get back.  ...There’s some.  And there.  And over there.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s all over the place, I’m itching already,” Leo grumbled.</p><p>“Well whose fault is that?”  Lexi looked around.  “Which way are we going?”</p><p>RK900 walked up to the trail map and examined it for a moment before pointing to a loop trail with a few points of interest marked along it.</p><p>“Good choice, you don’t want one that just... goes out into the middle of nowhere end ends,” Leo said, nodding in approval.  “Like, did somebody forget to finish the fucking thing?  Run out of money halfway through?”</p><p>“I would think a loop would be the most logical form for a trail to take,” Lexi said with a frown.  “I wonder why there are only two loops here.”</p><p>“I dunno, but that right there?”  Leo tapped an 8-mile trail that ended at the edge of the map.  “That’s how you die of a sprained ankle because you can’t get back.  Or get murdered.  Or eaten alive.”</p><p>RK900′s fingers moved fluidly, and he put a hand on Leo’s shoulder.</p><p>“He would carry you if you got injured,” Lex said.  “Of course I could do the same.  And either of us would be more than a match for a... murderer or a bear or... most threats, I would imagine.”</p><p>RK900 nodded.</p><p>“Cool, then we’re ready.  Let’s go.”</p><p>As they headed into the woods the wide path narrowed a bit and began to slope upwards.  Lexi and Leo looked around at everything as they walked, and RK900 lagged behind a bit.</p><p>“Takin’ your time?” Leo called over his shoulder, then looked back to see what the younger android was signing.  “...I don’t know that first one.  Animals and plants?  And, uh... is that mushrooms?”</p><p>RK900 nodded, trying a different sign.</p><p>“...Recording?”</p><p>“He’s cataloguing the flora and fauna we encounter,” Lexi said.  He looked up and pointed to a branch high in the canopy.  “Did you spot that downy woodpecker?”</p><p>RK900 nodded, smiling slightly.</p><p>“If we’re quiet, he’ll be able to see more of them.”</p><p>“Yeah, don’t talk so much, big guy!”  Leo grinned back at him, and he smiled back fondly.  “Do the scientific names count as good words, or is it just... Latin shit?”</p><p>“They still have meaning, despite Latin falling out of common use,” Lexi said.  “It’s actually quite interesting, I think.  That downy woodpecker, for example, is <i>Dryobates pubescens</i>, deriving from the Latin word meaning ‘downy’ or ‘pubescent,’ based on the bird’s juvenile appearance.”</p><p>“Okay, Wikipedia,” Leo said, rolling his eyes.  “I guess that’s pretty cool, though.  I took French in high school.  Never really got the hang of it.”</p><p>“All the romance languages are derived from Latin, but they’ve diverged enough at this point that... while there are clear similarities, one can never be substituted for another in conversation.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know, that’s why I almost failed French.”  Leo bent down.  “Hey, here’s a rock with a hole in it.  ...That one I know, this place all used to be under water, and... there was a smaller rock, or a grain of sand or something right there, and the water kept pushing on it until it wore a hole through it.”</p><p>“Well - that’s one method, though it also has to do with mineral imbalances and -” Lexi stopped when RK900 put a hand on his shoulder.  “...What?  No, I’m right, you know that.”</p><p>RK900 nodded patiently and smiled.</p><p>“...Well fine, I just thought he’d want to know,” the older android huffed, pulling his sleek leather jacket a little tighter around himself.</p><p>“Okay, but I was right too,” Leo pointed out.</p><p>“...Yes,” Lexicon admitted.  Leo grinned at RK900 and elbowed Lexi.</p><p>The slope got steeper, and now there were wood steps built into the trail.  They all slowed down a bit, and Leo’s breathing became more labored.  He stopped after a while, grabbing a small tree for support.</p><p>“Shit, the map didn’t say anything about this being on a vertical mountain slope,” he gasped.</p><p>“It’s only about a 50 degree angle here,” Lexi pointed out.  “...But you’re right, it’s more strenuous.”</p><p>“Fuck yeah,” Leo huffed.  He dug a water bottle out of his bag and gulped down half of it.  “I guess it’s nothing for you guys, huh?”</p><p>“Well - I wasn’t built for this specifically, but it’s well within my range of comfortable activities,” Lexi said with a shrug.</p><p>RK900 smiled and signed, “I was built for this kind of activity.”</p><p>“Must be nice,” Leo sighed, looking ahead.  “And we’re not even halfway up.”</p><p>RK900 signed, and Leo squinted at him.</p><p>“...What’s up there that you wanna pick up?”</p><p>RK900 shook his head and signed again, slower, breaking up his sentences.  “There is thicker moss and a stream ahead.  I can carry you if you need me to.”</p><p>Leo looked at them both.  “...I mean... you don’t have to, I just need a second to catch my breath.”</p><p>RK900 shrugged.  “It’s your choice.  I don’t mind.”</p><p>“Nah, man, I’m good.  Let’s go.”</p><p>They got about 50 feet farther when Leo stopped again, breathing hard.  “I guess... if you want... I don’t mind,” he wheezed.</p><p>RK900 knelt down and Leo awkwardly climbed on his back.  When he stood up, Leo clung to him and laughed breathlessly.</p><p>“Shit.  Last time I did this... I was five, and my mom said I was too big.”</p><p>“He can lift up to 200 tons,” Lexi said, smirking.  “You’re nothing to him.”</p><p>RK900 reached up to pat Leo’s arm and shake his head.</p><p>“Aw, thanks.”  Leo laughed.</p><p>They headed onwards, each of them pointing out things to the other.  They stopped when they reached the moss, and Leo got down so they could all feel it.  It was thick and soft and springy.</p><p>“That’s like... the best bath mat ever,” Leo muttered.  “Hey, can we cover the bathroom floor in moss?”</p><p>“You use the bathroom most often, if you want to maintain that, go ahead,” Lexi said with a shrug.  “You might need UV lights, though.”</p><p>“I’m totally doing it,” Leo muttered.</p><p>RK900 had gone ahead a little, and came back to point behind a large boulder.  The other two followed him up to find a pool of clear, cold water full of algae-covered rocks and a number of aquatic animals that RK900 eagerly scanned and catalogued.  Leo stuck his hands in the water.</p><p>“I always thought it’d be cool to drink from a mountain stream, like they do in books and shit.  ...But I tried it once when I was a kid, and man, I got so fucking sick.”</p><p>“I’m not surprised, there are all kinds of harmful bacteria in even minimally contaminated water,” Lexi muttered, shaking his head.  “Stick to the city water.  Or even better, bottled.”</p><p>“Nah, I learned my lesson.”  Leo grinned.  He went up and wiped his wet hands on Lexi’s jacket.</p><p>“Stop that,” Lexi said, frowning.  Leo just smirked and wiped the rest on his own jacket.</p><p>Sunlight was visible through the trees up the trail, and the androids kept a slower pace for Leo as they headed up to the vista.  There was a wooden bench that Leo plopped down on at the top, and the other two joined him to look out over the land.  They could see miles and miles of forest, in addition to roads and a few small towns.</p><p>“Bet you guys can see all the way to Lansing from here,” Leo said, smirking.</p><p>“I can see Wisconsin,” RK900 signed.</p><p>Leo squinted at him.  “You’re lying.”</p><p>RK900 grinned, and Leo elbowed him.</p><p>“I fucking knew it - you might be... basically Superman, but even you can’t see that far.”</p><p>“Kamski could upgrade my eyes,” RK900 signed.</p><p>“Don’t you dare bring it up, he’ll do it,” Lexi muttered.</p><p>They sat for a while, listening to the birds and looking out over the cliff’s edge.</p><p>“You know who’d have a blast here?” Leo said.  “Thirteen.  That guy’s wild.”</p><p>“He’s annoying,” Lexi said.</p><p>“So am I,” Leo retorted.  “And you sure as hell are too.”  He glanced at RK900 and shook his head.  “...Not you.  But most of us are annoying.”</p><p>“Well he annoys <i>me</i> specifically,” Lexi said.  “And I know for a fact that it’s mutual.  He completes his duties - barely - and I compensate him accordingly.  We maintain a strictly professional relationship.”</p><p>“So no Tower company picnics or anything?” Leo grinned.</p><p>“That might be fun,” RK900 signed.  “And good for morale.”</p><p>Lexicon let out a long-suffering sigh.  “I’ll consider it.  None of the others may be interested, though.”</p><p>“You don’t have to,” RK900 signed.  “But it might be nice to offer.”</p><p>Lexi made a face.  “...You should plan it, then.  You’d enjoy it more.”</p><p>RK900′s LED cycled yellow.  “Will you come?”</p><p>“Of course I will.”</p><p>“I’ll have to think of the best activities to offer.”</p><p>They finally got up again when the mosquitoes started bothering Leo, and continued down the trail, heading downhill this time.  There were some gigantic boulders about halfway down, split down the middle with enough room to walk through the cracks.</p><p>“Could you punch a rock this size and break it?” Leo whispered to RK900.</p><p>“Don’t try,” Lexi spoke up.</p><p>RK900 frowned at him, offended.  “Of course not,” he signed.  He examined the boulder carefully, taking its measurements and its composition into account before turning to Leo and nodding.</p><p>“Kickass.”</p><p>They climbed around on the boulders for a while, then continued down the trail.  Lexi sighed in satisfaction when they stepped out of the woods.</p><p>“I wasn’t entirely sure about this, but it was actually very pleasant!  I’d like to do it again some time.”  </p><p>RK900 nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Yeah, what’d I tell you guys?  It was great.”  Leo wiped his sweaty face on the hem of his shirt.  “Next time we pick a flatter trail so RK900 doesn’t have to carry me.”</p><p>“It’s no trouble,” the big android signed.</p><p>“Okay, but still.”  Leo shook his head.  “We should go to the ocean some time!  Can you swim?”</p><p>“Technically yes, though it takes a lot of effort,” Lexi said, sharing a look with RK900.  “I’d have to find someone who could keep the Tower running smoothly while we were gone, I imagine that would be a trip of... a week, at least.”</p><p>“Yeah!”  Leo grinned.  “Make it two weeks!  Hey, if you’re not trying to swim, could you just... walk into the water, all the way under?”</p><p>“We can, though I couldn’t stay too long,” Lexi said.</p><p>“I am operational up to 20,000 feet,” RK900 signed.  “For up to 24 hours, if no damage is sustained.”</p><p>“Shit man, you’re a fucking submarine too,” Leo muttered.</p><p>“He’s the superior model,” Lexi admitted, with more fondness than jealousy.</p><p>“Well take pictures and pick up cool shells and shit, but I’m gonna be asleep on the beach,” Leo declared.</p><p>“Burning to a crisp, no doubt,” Lex said, smirking.</p><p>“Uh - nope, I’ll have a beach umbrella.”</p><p>“The sun will move over the course of the day.”</p><p>“I’ll bury myself in the sand.”</p><p>“That would be uncomfortable, I imagine.”</p><p>Leo’s face fell.  “...I guess I could just put on sunblock.”</p><p>RK900 nodded in approval.</p><p>“I’ll have to see when we can schedule that,” Lexi murmured, grinning in anticipation.  “We should all see more of the world together.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(I know I use a different method of communication for RK900 every time, it's fine)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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